Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Midi |
MidiAdjective1. (of women's clothing; often used in combination) with hemline at mid-calf; "midiskirts"; "wore her dresses midi length". Noun1. The south of France. 2. A standard protocol for communication between electronic musical instruments and computers. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "midi" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1862. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. |
Literature | Midi Chercher midi à quatorze heures. To look for knots in a bulrush; much ado about nothing; to explain prosily what is perfectly obvious. There is a variant of this locution: Chercher midi où il n'est qu'onze heures, to look for a needle in a bottle of hay; to give oneself a vast lot of trouble for nothing. At one time, hundreds of persons looked for the millennium and end of the world on fixed dates, and to them the proverb would apply. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments.MIDI allows computers, synthesizers, sound cards and drum machines to control one another, and to exchange system information. Though modern computer sound-cards are MIDI-compatible and capable of creating realistic instrument sounds, the fact that sound cards' MIDI synthesizers have historically produced sounds of dubious quality has tarnished the image of a general purpose computer as a MIDI instrument.
MIDI is almost directly responsible for bringing an end to the "wall of synthesizers" phenomenon in 1970s-80s rock music concerts. Following the advent of MIDI, many synthesizers were released in rack-mount versions, enabling performers to control multiple instruments from a single keyboard. Another important effect of MIDI has been the development of hardware and computer-based sequencerss, which can be used to record, edit and play back performances.
Synchronisation of MIDI sequences is made possible by the use of MIDI timecode, an implementation of the SMPTE time code standard using MIDI messages, and MIDI timecode has become the standard for digital music synchronization.
Electrical connections
The MIDI standard consists of a messaging protocol designed for use with musical instruments, as well as a physical interface standard. A physical MIDI connection consists of a one-way (half-duplex) serial current-loop connection running at 31,250 bits per second.
Only one end of the loop is referenced to ground, with the other end 'floating', to prevent ground loops from producing analog audio interference and hum. The current loop on the transmitter side drives the LED of an opto-coupler on the receiver side. This means, the devices are in fact opto-isolated. The opto-coupler must be a high-speed type (the Sharp PC900 is very common). As most opto-couplers have asymetrical switching times (delays for switching on are different from the delays when switching off), they distort the signal (the zero to one relations). If you connect several MIDI devices in series by daisy-chaining the MIDI-THRU to the next devices MIDI-IN, the signal gets more and more distorted (until receive errors happen because the pulses get too narrow).
Message format
Each connection can transmit standard musical messages, such as note-on, note-off, volume, pitch-bend and modulation signals coded with 16 "channel" identifiers. Note messages can represent any note from C,,,, (i.e. five octaves below middle c or 8.175 Hz in common Western musical tuning; designated as MIDI note 0) to g''''' (i.e. five octaves above the g above middle c or 12,557 Hz; designated as MIDI note 127) with precision down to the semitone. Pitch-bend messages range in ±2 semitones (sometimes adjustable witho Registered Parameter Numbers), with precision of 1/4,096 semitone. (The human hearing system can't hear the difference between adjacent pure tones that differ by less than 1/20 semitone.)
It should be noted that MIDI can be used to provide facilities for playing in nonstandard musical tunings. However, these features are not standardised across all instruments.
The ability to multiplex 16 "channels" onto a single wire makes it possible to control several instruments at once using a single MIDI connection.
IN, OUT, THRU
Most MIDI-capable instruments feature a MIDI-IN, MIDI-OUT and occasionally a MIDI-THRU connection in the form of 5-pin DIN jacks. In order to build a two-way physical connection between two devices, a pair of cables must be used. The MIDI-THRU jack simply echoes the signal entering the device at MIDI-IN (with a delay of a few milliseconds), making it possible to control several devices from a single source. Although most PC soundcards have the ability to terminate a MIDI connection (usually through a converter on the joystick port) the Atari ST was the first home computer to sport the original 5 pin format which made it a very popular platform for running MIDI sequencer software.
General MIDI
The MIDI standard does not specify what number (0 to 127) corresponds to what instrument sound. General MIDI was an attempt to resolve this problem by specifying a profile for MIDI instruments, whereby a range of 'standard' instrument sounds must be implemented with standard setting codes on all General MIDI-conforming devices. General MIDI was a mixed success.
Low bandwidth
MIDI messages are extremely compact, due to the low bandwidth of the connection, and the need for near real-time accuracy. Most messages consists of a byte containing a channel number and an opcode, followed by one or two data bytes. However, the serial nature of MIDI messages means that long strings of MIDI messages take an appreciable time to send, and many people can hear those delays, especially when dealing with complicated musical information on many channels.
MIDI file formats
MIDI information can be collected and stored on a computer disk (along with timing information), where it is called a MIDI file. MIDI files are created using a hardware-based (MIDI workstation) or desktop computer-based sequencing software that contains one or more "tracks" of MIDI data assigned to specific channels, and in most cases, pre-determined General MIDI sound patches. Although some MIDI workstation hardware saves MIDI sequences in a proprietary format, recent developments in and the shift to desktop computer-based sequencing software has pushed General MIDI as the accepted standard format for MIDI files Large collections of MIDI files can be found on the web, most commonly with the extension
.mid; however, the limited number of instrument types in the General MIDI standard and the historically poor synthesis of what instruments were there have led some listeners and composers to shun MIDI files and use the MOD format instead.MIDI-Karaoke (which uses the ".kar" file extension) files are an "unofficial" extension to the MIDI Standard, used to add synchronized lyrics to standard MIDI files. Standard audio players cannot take advantage of these lyrics (probably due to copyright issues). However, many players are available that display the lyrics synchronized with the music in "follow-the-bouncing-ball" fashion, essentially turning amy PC into a Karaoke machine.
Note: *.kar files renamed into *.mid files can be played by standard midi programs.
The MIDI Association has now defined a new format, XMF (eXtensible Music File) which packages SMF (Standard MIDI File) format data with downloadable sounds, to much the same effect as MOD files. In spite of its name, XMF is not XML-based.
Extensions of the MIDI standard
Although traditional MIDI connections work well for most purposes, in 1994 a new high-bandwidth standard, named ZIPI, was proposed to replace MIDI for professional purposes. ZIPI failed due primarily to lack of demand.
USB and Firewire embeddings of MIDI are now entering the market, and in the long run USB MIDI is likely to replace the old current loop implementation of MIDI, as well as providing the high-bandwidth channel that ZIPI was intended to provide.
Beyond MIDI
OpenSound Control or OSC, devised by CNMAT is generally considered to be superior, and has been implemented in software like SuperCollider, Max/MSP and Csound. It can run over ethernet connections.
Yamaha has its mLAN standard, which is a variation on firewire [1].
Other applications of MIDI
MIDI can also be used for applications other than music:
Any device built with a standard MIDI-OUT port should (in theory) be able to control another with a MIDI-IN port, providing that basics such as note numbers and controller numbers have a meaning that is agreed upon by both manufacturers.
- theatre lighting
- special effects
- recording system synchronization
- audio processor control
External links
- MIDI Manufacturers Association http://www.midi.org/
- Site With Extensive Technical Information http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/
- XMF FAQ http://www.midi.org/xmf/xmf_faq.shtml
- VanBasco MID-Karaoke Player http://www.vanbasco.com/midi_player_with_full_screen_karaoke_display/
- PG Music http://pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Musical Instrument Digital Interface."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
MIDI | English | Manoel Island Development Investments | N/A |
MIDI | Italian | Interfaccia digitale per strumenti musicali.Si tratta di una sorta di linguaggio standard stabilito dai costruttori di strumenti elettronici.Concretamente la con-nessione midi permette di collegare le tastiere ad altri strumenti o ad un computer,che ha il vantaggio di aument... | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonym: MidiSynonym: musical instrument digital interface (n). (additional references) |
| Antonyms: maxi (adj), mini (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Midi |
| Specialty definitions using "midi": Atari ♦ EMU8000 ♦ MPC Level 1 Specification, MPC Level 2 Specification ♦ SB AWE32 ♦ TOS, twenty-four hour system ♦ wav, wavetable. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Midi" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. French (midday, noon, noonday, noontide, south), French Canadian (noon), Haitian Creole (noon), Papiamen (measure), Turkish (Midi), Wolof (noon). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | Midi minuit (1970) Les Étoiles de midi (1959) Quand sonnera midi (1957) La Cité du midi (1951) Midi (1929) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References | |||
Books | |||
Periodicals |
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Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
 |
| "Canal du midi" by Christoph Burgdorfer Commentary: "Canal du midi." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Civil Liberties | South Africa | Majority ownership of e-tv is held by Midi Television, a black-owned consortium composed of a number of associations and syndicates representing workers, women, and persons with disabilities. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Midi" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 66.07% of the time. "Midi" is used about 224 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (proper) | 66.07% | 148 | 25,903 |
| Noun (common) | 25.89% | 58 | 44,427 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 7.59% | 17 | 85,106 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.45% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 224 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name |
| France | Credit Agricole Midi |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expression using "midi": midi system. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "midi": midi-able, midi-based, midi-dress, midi-literate, Midi-mapper, midi-mod, midi-only, midi-programmable, Midi-Pyrenees, midi-rugby, midi-sized, midi-skirt, midi-system, midi-users. | |
Ending with "midi": Axa-midi, guitar-to-midi, l'apres-midi. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
midi | 7,316 | midi keyboard | 217 |
midi file | 3,706 | convert midi to wav | 209 |
free midi file | 1,270 | free midi music | 203 |
free midi | 1,028 | chinese midi | 193 |
midi music | 892 | midi software | 186 |
mp3 midi | 889 | country midi | 182 |
midi converter | 575 | rap midi | 176 |
midi song | 473 | midi downloads | 176 |
midi editor | 397 | midi file download | 171 |
midi to wav | 381 | christian midi | 168 |
mp3 to midi converter | 353 | classical midi | 166 |
convert mp3 to midi | 340 | midi music file | 163 |
wav to midi | 337 | anime midi | 160 |
wave to midi | 280 | free midi downloads | 158 |
midi download | 279 | midi download free | 157 |
midi ringtone | 273 | midi wav converter | 156 |
midi player | 260 | jazz midi | 135 |
midi karaoke | 259 | midi to wav converter | 130 |
midi search | 242 | piano midi | 127 |
convert midi | 219 | midi sequencer | 125 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "midi"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Danish | musikinstrumental digitalt grænsesnit (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface), MIDI (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Dutch | musical instrument digital interface (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface), MIDI (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Finnish | musiikki-instrumentin digitaalinen liitäntä (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
German | Midimode, MIDI (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Greek | ψηφιακή διεπαφή μουσικών οργάνων (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Italian | MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | ミシン糸 (automatic transmission, beauty contest to name Miss Xxxxx, crop circle, mediocracy, medium, medium rare, medium size, Mick, middy, middy look, midget, midget house, midi communication, midnight, midnight blue, midnight show, MIPS, MIS, miscasting, miserable, misery index, misfortune, misjudgement, mislead, mis-match, misprint, miss, mission, mission school, Missouri, mist, mistake, mister, mistral, misty, misunderstanding, mitochondria, mitt, Mitterrand, mix, mixed doubles, mixed juice, mixed media, Mr, Mrs, Ms., mysterious, mystery, mystery circle, mysticism, mystification, myth, sewing cotton, transvestite). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ミディ (middy). (various references) | |
Korean | 남프랑스. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | idimay.(various references) | |
Russian | музыкальный интерфейс. (various references) | |
Spanish | interfaz MIDI (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface), interfaz digital para instrumentos musicales (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Swedish | MIDI (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface), digitalt gränssnitt för musikinstrument (music instrument digital interface, musical instrument digital interface). (various references) | |
Turkish | Midi, Baldıra Kadar Giysi. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "midi": midiron, midirons, midis. (additional references) | |
Words containing "midi": amidic, amidin, amidine, amidines, amidins, azidothymidine, azidothymidines, bromidic, dehumidification, dehumidifications, dehumidified, dehumidifier, dehumidifiers, dehumidifies, dehumidify, dehumidifying, humidification, humidifications, humidified, humidifier, humidifiers, humidifies, humidify, humidifying, humidistat, humidistats, humidities, humidity, imidic, pentamidine, pentamidines, pyramidical, pyramiding, pyrimidine, pyrimidines, semidiameter, semidiameters, semidiurnal, semidivine, thymidine, thymidines, timidities, timidity, tumidities, tumidity. (additional references) | |
| |
"Midi" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: amidi, didi, fidi, fidic, gidi, idi, idiq, Imadi, imd, Imda, imi, imid, Imj, Imsi, madi, madir, madiz, Madjit, mado, mady, madzi, maido, Mandji, mbd, mcd, Mcddi, Mcirdy, mdi, md-il, Mdo, Meddi, Medhi, medi, medii, medio, Medit, medo, medsi, medu, medy, mendi, Mfid, miai, Mida, Midan, Middi, Middie, mide, miden, midex, midg, Midh, Midhir, midin, mido, mids, Midy, mifi, Migda, mihi, mii, miii, mij, mildi, mimi, minda, mindy, miqi, misi, miti, miud, Mndid, Mndo, Modai, Modin, Msida, Muda, mudda, Mudi, mudo, muid, mvd, myci, myd, mydir, Mydrim, mygi, myi, nidda, Niddk, Nidhi, Sidqi, zidi. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "midi" (pronounced mē"dē) |
| 3 | -ē" d ē | beady, deedy, greedy, needy, reedy, seedy, speedy, tweedy, weedy. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: imid. | |
| Words within the letters "d-i-i-m" | |
-1 letter: dim, mid. | |
-2 letters: id, mi. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-i-i-m" | |
+1 letter: idiom, imide, imido, imids, medii, midis, timid. | |
+2 letters: amidic, amidin, daimio, diamin, dimity, dimwit, ibidem, idioms, imides, imidic, indium, iodism, limpid, midair, midrib, miladi, misdid, oidium. | |
+3 letters: amidine, amidins, daimios, delimit, diamide, diamine, diamins, dimeric, dimming, dimwits, dislimn, dismiss, disomic, domicil, dominie, fideism, hominid, idolism, imbibed, immixed, impavid, implied, indamin, indiums, iodisms, iridium, jimmied, limited, maidish, midairs, middies, midiron, midlife, midline, midribs, midriff, midship, midsize, midwife, miladis, minding, misbind, misdial, misedit, mislaid, missaid, modioli, sigmoid, simioid, smidgin, stimied, timider, timidly. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Names: Company Usage 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Abbreviations 15. Acronyms 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
